Inside the Braves with MLB.com's Mark Bowman

Freeman will not resume playing in the AFL

Braves hand specialist Dr. Gary Lourie examined Freddie Freeman’s injured left thumb in Atlanta Monday and determined that the highly-regarded first base prospect will not resume playing in this year’s Arizona Fall League.

Lourie determined that Freeman suffered a mild left thumb strain during an AFL game last week. The 21-year-old first baseman will spend at least the next two weeks at his California home wearing a splint and then return to Atlanta for further evaluation.

Freeman said there is a chance he could be cleared to begin taking dry swings in three weeks.

Freeman began feeling discomfort in his thumb after attempting to make a diving catch during an Oct. 18 game. A few innings later, he aggravated the injury while sliding into third base.

The Braves sent Freeman to the AFL to better prepare him for his projected role to begin the 2011 season as their starting first baseman. He ended up playing just five games with the Peoria Desert Dogs before suffering this thumb ailment.

After hitting .319 with 18 homers and an .898 OPS for Triple-A Gwinnett this past summer, Freeman was named the International League’s Rookie of the Year. He hit his first career Major League homer on Sept. 21 against Roy Halladay. <p>

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U know what be really cool the Braves do is hire Sandberg to be the new hitting coach. I mean he was a damn good hitter back in the day so why not hire him. I mean if Freddie u know in 3-4 years doesnt work out hire him to be the manager.

Wasn’t there a time almost 10-15 years ago, when as soon as the season was over MLB awards were announced? Now, we’re about to start the series, and no awards have been announced. I think if they were announced at the end of the season, then Jason Heyward was a lock for ROTY, but now that Posey has been doing as good as he has in the playoffs, how does he not win it? MLB waits forever to institute instant replay, and now their wait for the awards may have cost us a ROTY? MLB has alot of holes in their systems, and they’re VERY obvious to everyone, except the people in charge. Maybe Selig isn’t that smart?

No i just read on Mlbtraderumors that Jim presley is the final canidate to take over as hitting coach. On another note i know i been shoving Fielder down ur throats but i just read on Yahoo sport that the Braves are in contetion of getting the power hitting first baseman now i hate to brag but if Mr Wren has any balls he would go after him tooth and nail. I dont care if u gotta send both Lowe and JJ along with Infante Freeman and Pastornicky get the trade done bc u add him along with Heyward Prado and Mccann in that lineup i smell playoffs and maybe a World Series Ring. And this trade comes true im gonna rub it in all of ur faces.

No i just read on Mlbtraderumors that Jim presley is the final canidate to take over as hitting coach. On another note i know i been shoving Fielder down ur throats but i just read on Yahoo sport that the Braves are in contetion of getting the power hitting first baseman now i hate to brag but if Mr Wren has any balls he would go after him tooth and nail. I dont care if u gotta send both Lowe and JJ along with Infante Freeman and Pastornicky get the trade done bc u add him along with Heyward Prado and Mccann in that lineup i smell playoffs and maybe a World Series Ring. And this trade comes true im gonna rub it in all of ur faces.

Ok Infante needs to be an everyday player and he cant do it in atlanta. I mean other then Cf and Lf there isnt any where else for him to play if we trade him to some team tat can use him as an everyday player. ok maybe take away pastornicky bc i see him replacing Infante as a utlity player. i mean i wouldnt just ask for Fielder i would ask for someone like Parra and chris Dickerson

And we’re not trading Pastornicky. He has the potential to be a great leadoff hitter. He steals a ton of bases, has a good OBP, and doesnt K a lot. Also, he’s basically free and a shortstop… and Alex Gonzalez wont last through 2011. If not due to injury, he’ll get replaced due to lack of production. Like I said before… Gonzalez is a mere mortal outside of Canada.

I think Gonzalez makes it much further with us than the end of next season.
Also, NC is just adding Pastornicky to his insane trade scenarios because they just posted an article about him. Obviously he’s going to throw him into one of many of his deals for Fielder that wouldn’t happen in a million years. I’ve never seen anyone so inept at learning and taking in information than our good buddy NC.

Ok but where is he gonna play next year for the Braves? Pastornicky and Infante are gonna be the odd man out so why not trade one of the two and see what u get. I mean we have two outfield openings why not use either one of them in either lf or CF. I know Infante can play both spots but why not in the offseason u have Pastornicky become an outfielder. I mean he has the speed so why not use him in center and use infante in lf and have them use as the leadoff hitter and in the 2 hole. I mean what team would want a player like Infante on thier team. I mean i was talking bout signing either Lee or maybe Dunn or tradin for Fielder I mean if that happens make Freeman an Leftfielder, I mean that an idea that you guys love.

OK if the Fielder trade aint gonna happen then why are the baseball experts keep putting the Braves name in rumors with his name. I mean I see it on yahoo i see it on MLBtraderumors that the Braves are looking at getting him. I mean they tried getting Hart so why not go after him instead. And no i wouldnt put Pastorniky in ant trades bc i see him being the either the SS for this Year or in my last statement how bout making him a CF. So there VIVAbeta ok if ur so smart how bout ui come up what the Braves should do this offseason.

Pastornicky has played 38 games in AA. Why would he be on the Atlanta roster besides MAYBE an outside shot as a September call up?
NC the Braves lineup is more or less set w the exception of 2 outfield spots, and one of them is probably going to be filled by McLouth. We’re not going after ANY first basemen. WE HAVE ONE ALREADY. We’re probably not going after Crawford or Werth so Wren is probably gonna have to get creative. I hate the idea of going after Rasmus, considering what we would have to give up in the process. Do not trade Kimbrel, Scheurholtz already traded away one of best closer prospect in baseball. If JJ gets traded I would sign Vazquez to a one year deal, which would probably be in the $4mil range. Then let Beachy and Minor compete for the #5 spot. Maybe the front office will be aggressive and get Werth and backload his contract so that we’re not too bogged down when Chipper and Lowe’s contracts run up.

No how bout when Chippers and Lowes contract are up use that money once it comes available use it in Werth contract ok. Like this the first two years of his contract give him like 9 million ok now when Chippers and Lowes contract that gives the Braves 30 million to add to the rest of the contract so he makes 15 and 15 over the rest of his contract. I think that how it should work.

So if Frank Wren is so brilliant, why are Elvis Andrus and Neftali Perez two of the brightest stars on a WS team? Why is that Scott Boras trash, Mark Tex in NY? Why are we missing out on all the Hitting Coach talent that has signed? Why can’t we get a RH bat?

On another note, Pete V.W. All of my prayers and good wishes go with you. It sounds like you are in good hands and everything is caught early. You are and always will be my favorite Professor.

I usually don’t comment on NC’s posts but here we go….Where will we use Infante? Where will we not use Infante?? We have only one infielder (Gonzalez) that has proven he can complete an entire season. Even though Prado is the man, he still hasn’t completed an entire season as a starter. Chipper, ability and physically, might not be able to finish a season at third base. Freeman is a rookie, so we can’t be sure of what we will get. We do not have a LF or a CF at this point. So where will Infante play? EVERYWHERE. You find a way to get his bat in the lineup. That is Freddy’s job.
BTW, has anyone read Pete’s book? I’d love to read it but do not know the title.

I love how NC is running with my idea of giving Werth a backloaded contract. Wouldn’t go more than 4 years with the offer, if that. You’ve got to believe that we’ll at least talk to Werth and maybe make an offer, like we did Burnett a couple years ago. Never thought I’d say I’d rather have Lowe…

So, we all agree our biggest need is LF help. Let’s look at the options if we don’t get Werth(aka, likely players Frank Wren will sign):

I could see any of these guys being brought in: Pat Burrell, Andruw Jones, Magglio Ordonez, Xavier Nady, Jonny Gomes(option MIGHT get picked up), Scott Podsednik. All would demand 1 year deals in the $3m range or lower, aside maybe Ordonez. I like Podsednik for a platoon with Diaz/4th OF role. Nice speed and OBP, could bat leadoff. I think I’d rank these options in this order: Podsednik(only if we got another one of the options or Diaz to platoon with), Ordonez, Burrell, Jones, Nady, Gomes.

Hey Brandon I like thos choices and out of them i wouldnt mind either Gomes or Pods or maybe both. Because Gomes can be used in lf and Pods can be out centerfielder and maybe as a leadoff hitter. Another one u forgot is Reed Jonshon. I mean I have a feeling that Baustia is gonna ask for big Bucks so that wont matter bc guys like that dont really pan out after a contract season. Maybe Freddi can ask Wren to trade back for Francouer.

David DeJesus. Simple. He’s a left fielder. Experienced but not old. IF he is healthy (that if needs to be figured out). WE would trade, not sign, and we have the prospects. We have history with the Royals. That extra money gives us room to spend on a bench, reliever, and anywhere else we need. I don’t want Craw-dad or Werth because it puts all of our money in one pot, especially with Craw having a career year with pretty barely above average stats. DeJesus would also be a possible extension candidate, giving us a solid outfield. If he doesn’t work, what about Alex Gordon from the Royals? Former top pick, becoming accustomed to the outfield, and has some power. I saw him play in college and he is a baseball player. I think a change of scenery for him would help him explode in the majors. Just thinking outside of the box.

Well, maybe now that Bobby is gone, we can get a real LF who will play every day instead of his maddening “necessary platoon” system that failed all of those years.
If it is anyone worth a damn, I can’t imagine it’d be by any other means than a trade. Crawford or Werth would be nice, but there’s no sense in getting in a bidding war with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies. The Braves will never win one of those, nor should they ever try.
I’d imagine there are plenty of players to be had via trade with some of the Braves plethora of grade-A pitchers and pitching prospects.

“So if Frank Wren is so brilliant, why are Elvis Andrus and Neftali Perez two of the brightest stars on a WS team? Why is that Scott Boras trash, Mark Tex in NY?” -Bill
Ahem… hmmm.. I do believe that was a John Schuerholz trade, my friend. That is unless JS let his assistant make all the moves while he was the general manager.

the trade I give Wren the most grief for is the Tex for Kotchman trade. Couldn’t we have at least gotten a decent prospect or two? I get what Bill is saying, but I’m not ready to drink the Elvis koolaid just yet. He is great defensively, but much of his speed would have been wasted here. His OPS isn’t that great. He may have ended up as just another singles hitter on a team of punch and judy hitters. Escobar had the better run-producing potential, but unfortunately is an ***. Who knows, Kimbrell may be our version of Perez. If that’s the case, the original trade doesn’t look as bad (the other 3 players we sent haven’t really amounted to much). As to Brandon’s list, Pods could help at lead off, but I agree we still need to find a power bat somewhere. Not sure how much Magglio can play in the field anymore, and Detroit has expressed a desire to bring him back.

WREN WASN’T THE GM THEN! You guys are the worst revisionist historians I have ever seen. John Schuerholz made that trade.
Also, we just CAN’T have a platoon in left or center field. This has been going on for too long and it hasn’t worked. We need a real hitter in one of those positions that can play everyday.

D*mn Viva, I said I was sorry. Are you taking your medicine? It’s obvious to me that the Braves aren’t even gonna compete for the real outfield talent. The sooner Liberty sells the team the happier I will be. They are just trying to squeeze as much off the bottom line as they can. They keep reducing the payroll for short term gain and we wind up having to patch together a team. They will do it again, so don’t expect any big offseason acquisitions.

If the Braves are willing to sign glaus which would be dumb i’d rather then and i say it b4 sign D.Lee Or maybe Lance Berkman and use Freeman in Lf and maybe if they are gonna trade JJ trade him to Arizona for Justin Upton or Chris Young and maybe minor league propect.

Unfortunately, Bill is probably right. Any money saved by releasing arbitration eligble guys (or sending KK to Japan for cash) will probably be eaten up by raises due to guys under contract are simply stripped from the budget altogether. Even if the rumors are true and JJ is traded for some everyday talent, there will have to be a salary dump somewhere. We’ll probably sign a Glaus like reclamation project or two, and maybe a middle reliever. We’re putting a lot of eggs in the Freddie Freeman basket.

Billreef has been blaming Wren for the Texas/Texeira trade since it happened- it doesn’t matter how many times we remind him that Scheurholz was behind it, he won’t listen. I mean, this is the same guy who blamed Wren for trading away Franceour!

jrocky, that’s exactly what I said when we gave LaRoche the cold shoulder. We were all hell bent on Freeman that we didn’t even talk to him. Just think if we would have gotten Adam LaRoche’s second half number production from Derrek Lee last year.

Brandon, do you mean you wish we had LaRoche’s .214/.245/.350 w 2 HRs and 13 RBIs (36 Ks, 5 BBs) in Sept/Oct? Over Lee’s .304/.404/.511 w 3 HRs and 17 RBIs (24 Ks, 16 BBs)? AND Lee had a torn muscle in his hand. Also, LaRoche was asking WAY too much at the time as well as a 3 year contract and we wanted a RH power bat. Freeman is different as he will obviously cost league minimum.

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